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RE: Benefits of validation

• From: Len Bullard <len.bullard@u...>
• To: ht@i...
• Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 12:56:12 -0600

I've been interviewing job candidates.  When they have actual XML
development experience, one of the areas I ask about is to tell me their
opinions on validation and how they think that is best handled.  It's a
pretty good razor question because the answers will tell me how deeply
they've used XML and in what situations.

Over half are content to use DTDs to do precisely that: validate at
boundaries (eg, before building a bean).   They tend to be agnostic about
issues that some of us are passionate about (e.g., XSD vs Relax vs DTD).
Very few talk about generative systems, exotic data typing, or other topics.
I've gotten zero responses regarding XML databases.

So if that sample is indicative, the validation at boundaries answer is
common practice and the rest tends to be niches.  Balanced against the
original design goals for XML, I think the goals are well-met.

len


From: ht@i... [mailto:ht@i...] 
 
Dan Connolly once put it very succinctly: "It makes sense to validate
at trust boundaries."

That's one of the main things contracts are for -- to establish
mutually agreed interfaces:  "I promise to deliver to these specs/I
promise to process anything which matches those specs".

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